“The Ivory Coast is home to the Bete – the live between the Akan tribe to the east and the Guro tribe to the north. They number 350,000 and live in villages, with the eldest man of the main family at the head. Historically, they were hunters, but nowadays they also farm. Religion, omnipresent in Bete life, aims to maintain a harmonious relationship between nature and the ancestors who are responsible for the welfare of the tribe. Elaborate masquerades are ceremonies are performed by the men of the tribe who belong to dance societies. “

Source:
Baquart, Jean-Baptiste. The Tribal Arts of Africa. New York: Thames and Hudson Inc. 1998. Print.